Bakersfield vs Midland
The short version
- Midland is cheaper overall: prices in its metro run 5% lower than in the Bakersfield area (BEA 2024).
- The median home costs $319,200 in Midland and $371,700 in Bakersfield.
- Households earn more in Midland ($89,585 vs $80,540 median).
- Midland is growing faster: +11.1% since 2020 vs +4.4%.
- Commutes are shorter in Midland (20 vs 24 minutes each way).
- Texas has no state income tax on wages; California's top rate is 13.3%.
Side by side
| Bakersfield, CA | Midland, TX | |
|---|---|---|
| People | ||
| Population (2025) | 422,165 | 147,615 |
| Growth since 2020 | +4.4% | +11.1% |
| People per square mile | 2,809 | 1,938 |
| Median age | 32.1 | 31.5 |
| Bachelor's degree or higher | 24% | 34% |
| Money and housing | ||
| Median household income | $80,540 | $89,585 |
| Median home value | $371,700 | $319,200 |
| Home value to income | 4.6× | 3.6× |
| Median rent (with utilities) | $1,472 | $1,434 |
| Metro price level (US = 100) | 100.9 | 95.8 |
| Housing price level (US = 100) | 90.3 | 101.5 |
| $75,000 elsewhere equals | $75,700 | $71,800 |
| Homeowners | 61% | 65% |
| Top state income tax | 13.3% | None |
| Combined sales tax | 9.03% | 8.2% |
| Work and commute | ||
| Average commute (minutes) | 23.6 | 20.1 |
| Work from home | 8% | 6% |
| Take public transit | 0% | 0% |
| Unemployment (2020-24 avg) | 7% | 3.5% |
| Poverty rate | 16.3% | 12.4% |
| Weather | ||
| January high / low | 59° / 41° | 59° / 33° |
| July high / low | 98° / 71° | 96° / 73° |
| Precipitation per year | 6 in | 14 in |
| Snowfall per year | 0 in | 4 in |
| Days 90°F or hotter | 112 | 115 |
| Nights below freezing | 10 | 58 |
| Comfortable months | 6 | 3 |
| Risks, air and home prices | ||
| Natural hazard risk (FEMA, county) | Relatively High | Relatively Moderate |
| FEMA risk score (lower is safer) | 98.9 | 81.2 |
| Good air days, 2025 | 18% | n/a |
| Home prices, past year | +0.5% | +4.1% |
| Home prices, past 5 years | +35.8% | +27.5% |
Highlighted cells are the better value where "better" is clear (lower prices, higher income, shorter commutes). Sources: Census Bureau 2025 estimates and ACS 2020-2024, BEA 2024, NOAA 1991-2020, Tax Foundation 2026.
Weather, month by month
Most comfortable months: Bakersfield: February to May and October to November. Midland: March to April and October.
Full monthly tables: Bakersfield weather by month and Midland weather by month.
What $75,000 is worth
A $75,000 salary in an average-priced US city buys about the same as $75,700 in Bakersfield and $71,800 in Midland. Moving from Bakersfield to Midland, you would need about $71,200 to match a $75,000 salary.
Moving between Bakersfield and Midland
IRS county-to-county migration, 2022 to 2023 tax years, for the counties that contain each city. See where else people move from Bakersfield and Midland.
Which would you pick?
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